


Unconventional Parenting

by BatFamFann



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Batman and Robin (Comics), Robin (Comics)
Genre: Bruce is actually kind of a troll, Early days of Bruce and Dick, Family bonding (not that Dick knows that), Gen, a dash of angst, batfam, ok maybe more than a dash of angst but its allowed because Dick lost his parents not long ago, wholesome ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:28:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26728225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BatFamFann/pseuds/BatFamFann
Summary: “Are you supposed to be Batman?”The man was silent, eye slits trained on Dick. Maybe, he got the name wrong. Cats had pointy ears too. That could have been what the costume was going for.“What do you think?”“Maybe a Boogeyman.”The man’s head made a subtle jerk back. A sensible reaction; Dick hadn’t expected those words to leave his mouth either. Although, now that the thought was in the open, the point was warming up to him. He continued.“Aside from the pointy ears you don’t look much like a bat.”Or the one where Dick Grayson meets the Batman before he knows that he’s been adopted by him.
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne
Comments: 11
Kudos: 112





	Unconventional Parenting

**Author's Note:**

> So this is set weeks after Dick has lost his parents. He's new to the manor and doesn't know that Bruce is Batman... yet.

Gotham was dangerous; a fact that failed to deter Dick’s regular disappearances from Wayne Manor. With everything the city had stolen from him, he’d assumed Gotham had been sated. Raising his eyes to the two burly men blocking his path, Mr Haley’s words returned to him.

_“This place is insatiable.”_

It had seemed like a reference to the way Gotham crowds hungered for the return of Haley’s Circus every year. Now, Dick was beginning to understand that wasn’t what the ringmaster had meant. Something far more sinister fueled the appetite of this city.

“So,” the larger of the two men said. “What will it be, kid?”

Dick should’ve sucked up the cold and left the coat at the manor. Mr Wayne’s clothing flaunted a level of wealth that stood out in Gotham’s most elite circles. Even under the cover of darkness, it was bound to get him noticed.

“I…” Dick took a deliberate step backward. The men matched his movement with a step toward him. “I’m not meant to talk to strangers.”

“Just hand over the coat,” the man with the black curls spoke. Although soft, his voice was laden with an eerie undertone that sent a chill through Dick. “We’ll take anything else that’s valuable off you too.”

“We don’t wanna hurt you,” the tall one added, giving Dick a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Promise.”

They wouldn’t hesitate to harm him; Dick knew it with a certainty that flared his core. He also knew they weren’t getting the coat. Expensive clothing aside, Mr Wayne would know he snuck out – might even figure out it was a regular event. Dick was unwilling to test the limits of the billionaire’s charity.

“I think…” Dick swallowed down the quiver that wanted to leak into his voice. “I don’t have much of a choice here.”

Curly hair let out a small laugh. “Smart kid.”

Both men were built; they’d be able to catch up if he ran. Dick let his eyes make the barest flicker to the side. The adjourning alleyway had a ladder leading to a balcony. Using the balcony’s railing he could launch himself at the ledge above it. He hadn’t kept the training regimen from the circus, but he was still a Flying Grayson; more accurately: the last Flying Grayson.

“Alright,” Dick said, pretending to relent as he brought his eyes back to the men.

To beat them to the ladder, he’d need a head start. Dick trailed his hands toward the collar of his coat. Two pairs of lazy eyes followed the movement. He’d barely brushed the material aside before launching in a sprint for the ladder.

Not daring to look back, Dick tried to gain all the ground he could while they were taken by surprise. The footsteps that thundered after him signaled the head start was up.

“I knew the kid would try to run.”

It was hard to tell which of the men said that. The words had sounded laboured through his strides. Maybe Dick could outrun them after all. He was almost at the ladder. Reaching out, he gripped the iron bars. A warm slither of relief trickled through him. Dick could do this.

Before he could reach for the next bar, a forceful grip ripped him back. Dick braced himself for what was coming next.

“That was a bad m – argh!”

He was released. Dick adjusted to a landing stance as he dropped onto the concrete. The sounds of fists against flesh had Dick spin back around. There were groans as the two attackers made futile efforts to return the blows of the figure who weaved between them. Within a few movements of black and grey, the stranger incapacitated Dick’s attackers. Reaching within the folds of his black cape, the figure pulled out a chord from his belt. Unmindful in his handling of the unconscious bodies, he tied them together.

The cape enclosed the figure again, giving him the appearance of a wraith. Thin, white eye slits fixed themselves on Dick. An involuntary step backward had Dick’s back hitting the alley’s brick wall. He probably wasn’t hostile – at least not to Dick. He tried to remind himself that as the figure advanced toward him.

Kneeling, the man brought his white eye slits level with Dick’s own eyes. “How do you feel?”

Dick was sure he detected genuine concern in the deep voice. There were many ways to answer that question. He could mention how the two most important people in the world had fallen to their deaths right in front of him; could add that it was murder, their killer still at large. Perhaps he could talk about the vibrant colour and culture of the circus being ripped away from him; replaced by wide, unfamiliar walls housing him in a building adorned with too much wealth to feel like a real home. Of course, the man wanted a physical report.

“I’m fine,” Dick said at last.

A closer observation of the man in front of him had Dick noticing the ear tips on his cowl. Mr Haley had spoken of a masked vigilante operating after dark. Dick’s mother had been convinced it was nonsense. Maybe the rumours had something to them.

“Are you supposed to be Batman?” 

The man was silent, eye slits trained on Dick. Maybe, he got the name wrong. Cats had pointy ears too. That could have been what the costume was going for.

“What do _you_ think?”

“Maybe a Boogeyman.”

The man’s head made a subtle jerk back. A sensible reaction; Dick hadn’t expected those words to leave his mouth either. Although, now that the thought was in the open, the point was warming up to him. He continued.

“Aside from the pointy ears you don’t look much like a bat.”

“Hrn.” The man rose to his feet, casting a glance back at the incapacitated attackers. “You shouldn’t be out here.”

“Should you?”

That brought the man’s attention back to him. Logic told Dick to avoid antagonising the vigilante who beat up two men with ease. The best course of action was to thank the stranger and leave. But this had been the first conversation in weeks that hadn’t felt like it was happening through a fog. Dick wanted to live in it for a little bit.

“Maybe,” The man responded. “We should _both_ head home.”

For some reason it surprised Dick that the man would have somewhere to go back to; a dumb thought. Even vigilantes needed a place to live. Though it was difficult to imagine the person in front of him living the life of a normal individual. Still, the man was right. Dick needed to get back to the manor before either Mr Wayne or Alfred noticed he was gone.

“Thank you for the assistance Mr Boogeyman sir—”

“I’m not the Boogeyman.”

“Maybe.” Dick pushed himself off the wall wondering when he’d decided he was at ease with this stranger. “You kind of look like him though.”

The man refused to respond to that. Looking at the alleyway exit, Dick tried to calculate how long he had been out here. It was longer than last time – that was for sure.

“Well,” Dick said, walking toward the exit. “I’ll be off.”

“I’ll take you back.”

Halting his steps, Dick turned back to the figure in the cape. That sounded a little like something a kidnapper might say.

“I don’t need someone to walk me home.”

“We won’t be walking.” From the folds of his cape, the man pulled out what looked to be a small gun, aiming it upward. When the trigger was pulled, a long chord shot out, attaching itself to a nearby rooftop. He pulled the line taught and turned back to Dick. “You don’t look like you’re afraid of heights.”

Was he planning on _swinging_ Dick back? If this was a kidnapping, it was the strangest method he’d heard of. Dick’s eyes trailed the length of the chord. It did seem … exciting. It wasn’t subtle though. Mr Wayne worked late most nights. Dick might draw attention being brought back by an oddly dressed stranger.

“How good are you at sneaking?” Dick asked.

The corner of the man’s mouth quirked up. Dick couldn’t have been imagining the amusement radiating off him.

“I’m adequate.” The man held the strange gun out toward him. “Grab on.”

Against his better judgement, Dick found himself walking toward the offered instrument. Dick grabbed the gun over the man’s larger hand. The vigilante wrapped a firm grip around Dick before he pulled them into the air.

“Woah!” Dick clung tighter to the man. The knowledge that he had put his safety in the hands of a stranger didn’t bother him as much as it should have.

The chord detached, sending them free falling for a few glorious moments before the man fired at another roof. The vigilante’s navigation through the high rises seemed effortless. Normally, Gotham’s night air felt harsh, but the rush of wind blowing through his hair soothed Dick now. He was flying; it was a feeling he didn’t realise he had missed this much.

It occurred to him that the man didn’t know where to drop him off.

“Do you know how to get to Wayne Manor?”

Dick had expected a reaction to that. It gained one with everyone else. Instead, he got a simple response.

“I have an idea.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I've always wished for more stories with Bruce and Dick set before Dick knew about Batman - so this is pure wish fulfillment. 
> 
> I have thought about continuing this into a longer story. Maybe exploring the journey Bruce and Dick take to understanding each other while exploring the growing pains of learning to live with each other. 
> 
> But for now, thank you for reading!! Feel free to let me know what you thought!


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